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Sunday Freeman - May 26, 2002, A8 By Ariel Zangla, Correspondent
SAUGERTIES - The Town Board plans to "intensely" consider the Planning Board's
ability to deal with a growing number of projects needing review, and look into
concerns about board members' behavior, Councilman Philip Palladino said.
At a Town Board meeting last week, residents said there is a need for an engineer to assist the Planning Board in reviewing applications. Resident Pat Fitzsimmons said the need was evident at the board's most recent meeting, and said meeting lenghts have increased from about 90 minutes to more than five hours.
"The Planning Board members don't have the technical background needed," Fitzsimmons said.
Town Board members were also told the behavior of some Planning Board members should be addressed. Resident Brian Donoghue said he watched members of the board make veiled threats to a councilman and force a member to change an abstention to an affirmative vote on one project.
Donohue also said the board chairman at one point held up a letter from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and say that he was going to pretend it did not exist. "I am at a loss as to how a community can move forward with a rogue Planning Board," he said.
Contacted by telephone Thursday, Planning Board Chairman William Creen said the board is assisted by consultant Miles Putnam of Shuster Associates at each monthly meeting, but welcomed additional engineering expertise if the town is willing to fund it. "We've told the town fathers time and time again (that) in order to follow the law you have to have an engineer ... or have another agency or agencies do the inspection," Creen said. "We can't stop the Planning Board process because the town doesn't hire an engineer."
Creen said the meeting lengths are attributed to agendas listing more than 20 reviews and often include public hearings. He denied there have been threats against Town Board members or other planners. "Somebody is on a witch hunt out there," he said. "There are no threats and there are no veiled threats. You are talking about two new members on the Town Board and a new member on the Planning Board ... and sometimes you have to explain something to a member. We didn't force (a changed vote) and if she wanted to abstain, she could have abstained."
Palladino, the liaison to the Planning Board, said he was not present at its last meeting due to family obligations. He said the Town Board has to work as a unit, not as individuals, to address concerns about the Planning Board.
"Not to dwell on it or to make excuses, but the people who sit on the Planning Board are volunteers," said Councilman Philip Tucker. He said there has been a tremendous amount of growth in the town and the Planning Board needs help. Tucker said that it might be a good idea for the Town Board to get help and education for the Planning Board members, because they are going to be asked to deal with a lot of new projects in the future.
- Correspondent William Kemble contributed to this report.